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If your cat has mats in his fur, it may be a sign of a health problem. Here are some common reasons cats stop maintaining their coats.
How to help a cat with matted fur
Cats have around 130,000 hairs on each square inch of their bodies, which adds up to a lot of maintenance when it comes to grooming. For the most part, our feline companions are experts at keeping up their coats, but sometimes mats occur, especially in long-hair breeds. Dreadlocks can lead to health problems such as feces or urine becoming trapping in tangled fur and irritated skin when mats prevent oxygen and moisture from reaching the surface tissue, so it is important to stay on top of Kitty’s coat hygiene. Here are some tips for removing dreadlocks and some of the likely culprits behind your pet’s unkempt coat.
Matted coats can occur for any number of reasons, including oral disease, loss of flexibility, stress or your pet generally feeling poorly. Because cats bath using their barbed tongues, their mouths are their primary grooming tool. If your pet is experiencing pain from periodontal disease or another infection of the mouth, he is likely to avoid bathing. Another reason your cat may not be maintaining his coat is loss of flexibility due to arthritis or obesity. Stress can also create changes in your pet’s bathing habits, as some cats will over-groom when feeling anxious and create bald spots while others may feel too stressed to divert their attention to bathing. Other causes include any ailment that leads your cat feeling under the weather, including anemia, kidney disease, cancer and a host of other problems. Whatever the cause, ceasing to bath is a sign your pet is not feeling well and it is important to address the underlying causes.
When you notice your cat starting to slack on his grooming habits, bring him to the veterinarian for a checkup. Your vet should conduct a full physical exam and urine screening to find out why he is avoiding bathing. To assist your pet, brush him daily with a steel tooth comb. You can also rub him with a damp wash cloth to mimic his natural tongue bathing. Be careful to avoid using scissors to cut out mats, as this can lead to cutting your pet’s skin. If your companion has a mat you simply cannot comb out, bring him to the vet or groomers to have it safely removed. The longer your pet’s fur, the more likely it is to tangle, so make grooming a part of his daily routine. You can check for knots by running your fingers through his coat during brushing, helping untangle any dreadlocks before they become impossible to brush out.
Even if you brush your dog’s teeth, old age can cause dental decay. Fortunately, he can function without his molars with an adjusted diet.
How to care for a senior dog who’s losing his teeth
We all love our pets and hope they live well into their senior years, but as with every stage of life, your pet’s old age come with a unique set of challenges. Among these are the loss of his teeth, though dogs may experience tooth loss at any stage of life due to poor dental health or injury.
Between about 3 and 6 weeks old, puppies grow their milk teeth, so named because they do not need molars for chewing solid food this early in life. Around 4 months of age, puppies lose these teeth and grow their adult set, which should stay with them for the rest of their lives. Old age can wreak havoc on your pet’s dental health, however, and periodontal is the top cause of tooth loss in dogs. To help ward off dental disease, it is important to begin brushing your dog’s teeth from an early age. Invest in a toothbrush and toothpaste designed specifically for dogs and make brushing Fido’s teeth part of your daily routine, such as immediately following mealtime. You should also take your pet in for regular checkups, which should include an oral exam. Other common causes of tooth loss in dogs include injury, such as when a dog gets into a fight with another animal.
Signs that your dog is experiencing trouble with his teeth include bloody saliva, difficult eating his food and pawing at his mouth. If you notice your pet is spilling a lot of his kibble during mealtime or that his is drooling excessively, it is time to check for other signs of poor dental health. Look closely to see if his face or nose are swollen and check inside his mouth for inflamed or bleeding gums and bad breath. If you notice any of these symptoms, take your pet to the vet immediately to address any pain in his mouth and diagnose the underlying cause. If he has an infected tooth, it is better to pull it than leave the offending fang in place to cause more pain for your pet.
Of course, most dogs who are missing teeth are not completely toothless. The amount of special care your companion will need depends on how many teeth he is missing. If your pet lacks a large number of his molars and pre-molars, his ability to chew food will be impacted significantly and you will need to adjust his diet so he is able to eat easily. In some cases, adding warm water and mashing up kibble will make it sufficiently easy to chew. For pets missing more of their teeth, you may need to switch their diets to strictly canned food. Avoid canned meat that is labeled as including gravy, as these types have larger chunks that may be hard for some pets to chew.
Even toothless pets need healthy mouths, so continue to brush your dog’s remaining teeth and gums. With proper tooth cleaning, regular checkups at the vet, and adjustments as he gets older, your pet can live a healthy life well into his senior years.
Dogs are more than companions—they also help keep us physically and mentally fit. Here are a few health benefits of owning a dog.
The health benefits of owning a dog
Pet parents are already aware of the good owning a four-legged companion does for their mental health, but caring for a dog is scientifically proven to improve physical health, too. From more frequent movement to preventing childhood allergies, here are a few benefits of owning a four-legged pal:
1. Animals keep you active: Most health experts agree people should get roughly 30 minutes of exercise daily and dog owners are statistically more likely to hit that target. Walking our dogs may not feel like a workout, but it helps keep us active even into our senior years. This has a host of health benefits, from maintaining a lower body mass index to improved heart health. Research has even shown that owning a pet lowers blood pressure and risk of heart attacks.
2. Pets can actually lower stress: In addition to the stress-relieving benefits of daily exercise, owning a pet can help decrease anxiety in other ways. Studies have shown that spending time with your canine companion can increase levels of serotonin and dopamine, two “feel good” neurochemicals that improve feelings of wellbeing. Animal-assisted therapy is even recognized as a treatment for depression, thanks to dogs’ ability to help us feel less isolated and stay active.
3. Dogs can improve your social life: Pet owners may not realize it, but taking Fido for a walk every day can actually improve their social lives. Research has shown that dog owners make friends more easily, likely due to improved chances to make small talk when they are out with their companions. Studies have also shown that people are more likely to perceive photos of people with dogs as happier than their pet-less peers. Dogs are, aftercall, an endless fount of conversation topics for their loving owners.
4. Growing up with dogs can prevent allergies: Experts once believed having a pet in the home increased the chances of children developing allergies, but studies have since shown that growing up with a four-legged family member actually lowers children’s chances of developing a pet-related allergy. With so many benefits to offer, it is no wonder we become so attached to our canine companions. Rather than seeing his daily walks as a burden, this should help you find the bright side to maintaining a daily routine that benefits both you and your companion for years to come.
